FB was far from perfect in 2013; just consider Facebook Home

FB Failure #2 – Facebook Home for Android

When FB announced that it was releasing Facebook Home, the response was mostly muted. Keep in mind that Wall Street was expecting the company to launch an actual smartphone. But instead, Zuckerberg announced a so-called launcher for Google’s Android … although he did say that HTC would pre-install it on one of its phones.

It’s true that launchers are valuable. It’s the software that first shows up when a user opens a phone — and allows for the seamless launching of apps and access to core functions. For example, in the case of Facebook Home, it had instant photos from a user’s timeline and seamless access to the chat service.

The problem for FB? Well, many people do not want to always see their friends’ photos or chat when they turn on their phone. Besides, the launcher market is incredibly competitive — part of the reason FB stock investors weren’t that excited.

All in all, Facebook Home has languished. FB has kept investing resources into the product, but it looks like it may be to experiment with new features, which could ultimately become a part of the core Facebook app.